Belgium expresses concern over political standoff in Lebanon

Visiting Belgian Foreign Minister Karel De Gucht on Wednesday expressed concern regarding the political standoff in Lebanon and urged the Lebanese parliament to convene in the coming days to find a solution.

De Gucht, at a news conference following his meeting with Prime Minister Fouad Seniora, said that the Lebanese parliament should convene an extraordinary session to address the ongoing political tension in the country.

"It is wise that the Lebanese parliament calls for a meeting in the coming days to find a solution" to the current standoff, he said, adding that he had conveyed this idea to Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri during a meeting with him earlier today.

Anti-Syrian legislatures rallied in the Lebanese parliament on Tuesday to urge Speaker Berri to convene the first parliament session this year and ratify the creation of a court due to try suspects in former premier Rafiq Hariri's murder.

However, Berri, leader of the pro-Syrian Amal party, refused to convene the assembly, saying he would not do so before the opposition demands for a national unity government are met.

The dispute pitting Lebanon's pro-government parliamentary majority against the pro-Syrian opposition concentrates on two issues, namely, the opposition's demand for a veto power in the government and the majority's demand for ratification of the international tribunal.

The convention for the tribunal was passed by the government last November, but it still needs to be ratified by the parliament.

Regarding to the issue, De Gucht said "I cannot understand the stubbornness over the court ... We are looking forward to ending this criminal path which claimed the lives of many people in Lebanon."

The Belgian top diplomat also called on Syria to show more cooperation with Lebanon, particularly concerning the establishment of the international tribunal.

"It is of Syria's interest to find a solution in Lebanon because it is the gateway towards the international community," said De Gucht.

Belgium has 400 soldiers working with the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).

De Gucht, who arrived Beirut on Tuesday, also met with Lebanese Parliament majority leader Saad Hariri and visited the Belgian forces in Southern Lebanon besides two Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon.